Chapter Text
Stan reaches the lab just in time to see the twins and Soos around the emergency shut down button with Dipper about to hit it
“Don’t press that button!” His shout echoes through the spacious room as he leans against the doorway catching his breath as the three of them turn looking at him , " Dipper just back away," He coaxes holding his hands up approaching as if Dipper were a spooked animal," Please don't press that shut down button, You have to trust me." His pleas fail to crack the kid's stone hard conviction that Stan was up to something sinister.
"And I should trust you why?" He asks anger, betrayal, and accusation all lacing his words as he starts to name off his recent discoveries," After you stole radioactive waste? After you lied to us all summer? I don't even know who you are!" He screams the word at him: watching as Stan's face falls with every accusation.
Stan reaches towards the kids still too far to actually reach them as he continues in their direction, knowing he has to convince them to keep the portal open, for Ford. "Look," he says, "I know this all sounds nuts but I need that machine to stay on, If you just let me explain," He hopes desperately that maybe the kids will trust him knowing he's being honest even if its just this once. Suddenly his watch starts beeping signifying that there was about to be another gravity pulse He lets out distressed noise calling for the others to brace themselves as they are all lifted from their feet: "T-minus 35 seconds", calls the timer in a feminine monotone voice, just 35 seconds before the portal opens and Ford returns.
"Dipper," Mabel cries out being held in place by a chord that had wrapped itself around her foot.
"Mabel!" He calls back," Hurry shut it down." Mabel crawls down the chord back to the button, as she nearly reaches it she looks up to see stan paddling in her direction.
" No," He shouts desperation filling his voice," Mabel, Mabel, STOP." As he says the last word Soos reaches him tackling him off course as Mabel continues to cling to the post. Stan fights back hitting Soos's head while questioning the action," Soos, what are you doing? I gave you an order." The order in question would be for Soos to guard the vending machine
" Sorry Mister pines," he pauses for a second, " If that is your real name, but I have a new mission now: protecting these kids" He cries out as they cycle in a downward angle to the left of the room.
" Soos, you idiot, let me go!" Stan shouts trying to pry the 20 something year old off of him. With his focus on Soos, he doesn't even notice as Dipper propels himself off of the support beam, he had been holding onto, joining Soos in the attempt to keep him from stopping Mabel.
Dipper and Stan struggle back and forth. " Go, Mabel: press the red button!" Dipper calls to his sister, " shut it down!"
Mabel clings to the post, mentally preparing herself, before Stan, once again shouts in objection: " No you can't," he cries as he tosses Dipper off of himself, " You gotta trust me." His pleas are more heard by Mabel than they were against Dipper.
Mabel's eyes start to water as she holds to the pole looking her great-uncle in the eyes:" Gruncle Stan," she turns away eyes squeezed closed as tears threaten to over come her, "I don't even know if you're my real gruncle?" She continues in a small sad voice," I want to believe you...but-"
" Then listen to me," Stan interrupts trying to reassure her before it is too late, " Remember this morning, when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?"
" T-20 seconds" The feminine voice calls again. It was soon followed by a strong blast from the machine that slung everyone back, except Mabel who continued to cling to the button, Soos is thrown off of Stan. Mabel climbs back up the post raising her hand over the button only to stop mid-strike as Stan continues. Mabel knows that she should just hit the button as she was already poised to do, but a part of her hoped that Stan would give a good, honest reason for the doomsday device explaining that it was all just a big understanding and that it wasn't a doomsday device at all and the feds were wrong. With all that in mind she stopped and waited to hear his reasoning knowing that Dipper would've already hit the button.
" I wanted to say that: You're going to hear some bad things about me, and some of them are true, but trust me: Everything I've worked for, everything I care about it's all for this family"
Dipper shouts his protests," Mabel what If he's lying? This thing could destroy the universe! Listen to your head!"
Stan shouts another plea: " Look into my eyes, Mabel, Do you really think I'm a bad guy?"
" He's lying! Shut it down!," Dipper argues.
" Mabel...Please."
" Ten, Nine," The computer counts, giving Mabel a literal countdown to make a decision than could decide the fate of all humanity.
Stan was being honest she could tell and maybe it was wishful thinking, something Dipper claims she is prone to do, but she truly thought he was telling the truth and with the voice of her brother shouting a million different ways that this was a bad idea she looks int he direction of both of them. She sees the dampened desperation in Stan's eyes and the raging fight in dipper's as she voices her choice:
" Grunkle Stan," she says, SIX, FIVE, " I trust you." She lifts both her hands from the post and away from the button letting herself float upward and slowly in the direction of the machine.
She looks at them as both of their eyes widen in shock ," MABEL, ARE YOU CRAZY!? WE'RE ALL GOING TO-"He is cut off as the countdown is completed.
" One."
Mabel feels as the machine pulls her through the opening and at the same time pushes her family away. She tries to make her way back calling for help, but she sees a glimpse of recognition in Stan's eyes as he yells trying to reach her, she knows its too late.
And that is the last thing Mabel remembers before waking.